Ironing board



E. C. BOOTH ET AL IRONING BOARD May 10, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 4, 1945 .May 10, 1949. E. c. BOOTH ET AL 2,469,309.

IRONING BOARD Filed April 4, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ril INVENTORJ 5721. G fiaa/wa z Patented May 10, 1949 IRONING BOARD Eari C. Booth and Frank Jones, Columbus, Ind., assignors to Noblitt-Sparks Industries, Inc., Columbus, lnd., a corporation of Indiana Application April 4, 1945, Serial No. 586,466

2 Claims. 1

Our invention relates to an ironing board, and more particularly to an ironing board having a collapsible support which will hold the ironing board firmly when extended but which can be collapsed against the lower surface of the ironing board top in a compact fashion. It is the object of our invention to produce a support which can be simply and economically manufactured and which will lend itself to fabrication from metal tubing, metal strip, and sheet-metal stampings.

In carrying out our invention in its preferred form we construct the top of the ironing board with a border frame of metal tubing, such border frame being covered by a plurality of sheet-metal stampings. The top is provided with a truss-like brace extending longitudinally of the top from one end to another and having a depressed inter mediate portion secured to a cross member on the top. The collapsible support includes a front leg and a pair of rear legs pivotally connected to the top. The rear legs and front leg are interconnected by a jointed brace so that they may be jointly moved from extended position at an angle to each other into substantially coplanar positions against the lower surface of the top. To hold the support in extended condition, each of the rear legs is connected by a link to a member which is slidable along the aforesaid brace on the top, and a latch mounted on such brace is provided to hold the member in the position it occupies when the board is extended.

The accompanying drawings illustrate our invention: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the ironing board with its support extended, the top being shown in section; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the ironing board with the support collapsed and the board resting in a vertical position; Fig. 3 is a side elevation illustrating the support in partially extended condition; Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 5- 5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a fragmental transverse section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 6; Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line 65 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the board showing the support extended.

The ironing board illustrated in the drawings comprises a top including a border frame ill desirably formed of metal tubing and covered with a series of sheet-metal stampings l. Extending from one end to the other of the top is a trusslike brace member 52, the ends of which are secured to the ends of the border frame as by welding. The center portion of the brace i2. is depressed below the plane of the border frame, as will be clear from Fig. 1, and the border frame is provided intermediate its length with a rigid 2 cross member Is to which the depressed portion of the brace I2 is secured.

The cross member I3 is desirably formed of a sheet-metal stamping having end flanges [4 which abut against the sides of the border frame It] and are secured thereto as by welding. Inwardly from the sides of the border frame, the cross member It may lie closely beneath the adjacent panel H to provide support therefor; but the center portion of the cross member is depressed, as indicated in Fig. 4, and provided with two integral down-struck ears G5 which receive the brace l2 between them. A pin or rivet [6 extending through the brace l2 and ears l5 serves to secure the cross member to the brace.

At each end the cross-member I3 is provided with a pair of downwardly projecting flanges I8 and is which extend longitudinally of the top and are conveniently formed by portions struck from the border of the cross member l3.

The legs which form the collapsible support for the top are pivotally connected thereto through the medium of the flanges l8 and I9. Such legs comprise individual rear legs 20 and single front leg 2|, each conveniently formed of metal tubing. The front leg 2! is desirably formed from a single piece of tubing bent at its mid point to provide two closely spaced portions 22, diverging intermediate portions 23 and parallel end portions 24. The extreme ends of the parallel portions 24 are bent toward the top and received between the two flanges l8 and I9 to which they are secured by pivot pins or. bolts 25. Each of the rear legs has one end similarly bent toward the top and secured between the flanges l8 and H! by means of a similar pivot pin or bolt 25.

The front and rear legs are interconnected by a jointed brace comprising a sheet-metal stamp-i ing 30, pivotally connected at one end to the parallel portions 22 of the front leg, and links 3| connecting the opposite end of the stamping 30 with the respective rear legs 20. Conveniently, the stamping 30 is provided at one end with ears 32 spaced to be received between the parallel portions 22 of the front leg and perforated for the reception of rivets or bolts 33 by which they are connected to the respective front-leg portions 22. At its opposite end, the stamping 30 is provided with a second pair of ears 32 between which there extends a rivet or bolt 34 received in holes in the ends of the links 3|. The rear ends of the links 3! are connected to the respective legs 20 by means of pivot pins or bolts 35. V

The pivot pins or bolts 35 also serve as a means for connecting to the rear legs 20 links 3'! which extend to and are pivotally connected to a member 38 slidably mounted upon the brace I2 in rear of the cross member 13. Near the rear end of the cross member 12 there is pivotally mounted within it a latch member 49 having a, hooked end 4! adapted to project through a slot t2 in the wall of the tubular brace 12 and to engage the front end of the sliding memher 38. The latch 49 is also provided with an operating finger 43 which projects outwardly through a second slot 44 in the wall of the brace 12 in the manner shown in Fig. 6.

In order to increase the stability of the extended board-support, the pivotal connection of each rear leg to the top is so arranged that the leg is not confined to movement in a plane normal to the top, and means are provided for spreading the free ends of the legs 20 apart as they move away from the top in the operation of extending the support. The means shown for accomplishing this purpose comprises a pair of links 41 which are pivotally connected respectively -to the rear legs 29 and pivotal-1y connected to each other on axes disposed substantially nor-- mal to the top when the support is collapsed. At an intermediate point, each of the links '4'? is connected by a link 48 to a point on the ironing board top located in rear of the pivot pins 26 by which the rear legs are connected to the top. Conveniently, the ends of the links 48 lie against the imrer surfaces of the inner flanges 19 on the cross member '3 and are pivotally secured to such flanges by pivot pins or bolts 49.

When the board is collapsed, the parts of the structure occupy the positions illustrated in Fig. 2, the front leg 2i lyin against the under surface of the ironing board top and the rear legs being disposed in approximately parallel positions immediately outside the front leg. The in-bent ends of the rear legs prevent the front leg from interferin with a close approach of the free ends of the rear legs to the border frame or the top. To extend the board, the free end of the front leg 2| is moved to the right (Fig. 3) away from the board. The rear legs '21) which overlie the front leg, are forced away from the board in the movement of the front leg. With the board resting in a general vertical position, such as is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the force of gravity acting on the legs tends to cause them to swing away from the top after their movement "in that direction is once started. In this swinging movement of the legs, the member 39 slides downwardly on the brace l2 until it strikes the proiecting finger 43 and forces the latch 40 to rotate in a clockwise direction (Fig. 6) and carry the hooked end 4| of the latch into engagement with the sliding member 38. This engagement of the latch with the member 38 holds the rear less .20 in the position they are to occupy when the board is extended. The board may then be brought into its normal operating position by rotating it about the points at which the rear legs 20 engage the floor. In this rotation of the board, the free end of the front l 2' will strike the floor which will react upon it to cause it to swing in a counterclockwise direction (Fig, 1) about the axis of the pins or bolts 25. The jointed brace comprising the stamping 3B and links 3| will limit this swinging movement of the front le 21, and the parts of the brace are so proportioned that when they come into substantial coplanar relationship to limit counterclockwise swinging movement of the front leg 2! the top will be substantially horizontal.

Because the points at which the links 48 are attached to the top lie in rear of the pivot pin 38, by which the rear legs are connected to the top, movement of the rear legs 20 away from the top will cause the links 4'1 to be moved to-- ward alignment with each other, thus spreading apart the free ends of the rear legs. Desirably, the links 41 and 48 are of such dimensions and are interconnected at such points that the links M reach substantial alignment with each other as the legs 20 reach their extended positions.

To collapse the support, the board is desirably rotated about the lower ends of the rear legs until the rear end of the top engages the floor. The latch 41] :may then be released from the member 38 by lifting the finger 43 upwardly with the toe; and upon release of the latch, the legs may then be swung toward and against the top.

We claim as our invention:

1. In an ironing board, a top, a member supported from said top for sliding "movement longitudinally thereof, a front leg and rear legs pivotally connected to said top on parallel axes and swingahle between positions against said top and extended positions in which they are adapted to act as a support for said top, links connecting said slidable member with said rear legs, a latch pivotally mounted on :said top in position to engage said slidazble member and retain it in the position it occupies when the rear legs are extended and means acting between the front legs and the rear legs for limiting their separation, said latch having :a hooked end and a finger spaced apart to receive said slidable member between the latch being :so constructed and arranged that one end of said sl-idable member will engage said finger as the legs reach extended positions and will rotate said latch to cause the hooked end thereof to engage the other end of the sliding member.

'2. The invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said top is provided with a longitudinally extending truss-member having ends connected to said top and a depressed intermediate portion connected to an intermediate point of the top, said s-lidable member being slidable on said truss-member, and said latch being mounted on :said truss-member.

EARL C. BOOTH. FRANK JONES.

REFERENCES CITED FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Oct. 21, .1891

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